Poison Glasses x Chuunihan
by kuroneko051
Summary: Collection of one-shots about our prankster and his glasses princess, Akabane Karma x Okuda Manami. M/F, KarmaxOkuda.
1. Song

Story Time 1: Song

Summary: Who knows a song has fortune-telling capabilities?

EDIT: For those who do not know this song, this is a song by Ed Sheeran - All of The Stars, but I didn't take all the part. The credits for the song of course belong to him :)

* * *

A black-haired young woman was sipping her hot chocolate in a nearby cafe. Her buttoned brown coat covered to her knees, while her black jeans, gloves and red shawl did the rest of the job. Her jet black hair flowed past her shoulder, maintaining their wavy characteristic after occasional braiding. After suggestion from several friends, she had used contact lens during hangouts. It suited her well, as she hated fog on her glasses every time she drank something hot. The chair across her was empty, but her sight lingered longer than she was supposed to.

It was then the café started playing a song, which immediately caught her attention

_It's just another night_

_And I'm staring at the moon_

_I saw a shooting star_

_And thought of you_

8 years has passed, but she couldn't forget the lyrics.

At that time, Bitch-sensei gave everybody a song for assignment. It was done to test their listening skills in addition to measure how well they can grasp the song's meaning. Some people got a rather racy song, so it was understandable why they blushed madly as they explained to the rest of the class about the song. But by all miracles, she got a sweet song. It was easy for her to present the meaning of the song:

"It was about two long-distance lovers."

And as her gaze followed to the window, a certain face passed by in her mind. Funny how the song set her future in stone.

His song, Jet Lag, did the same at him.

_I sang a lullaby_

_By the waterside and knew_

_If you were here,_

_I'd sing to you_

Thanks to the assignment, she discovered a new hobby and study method while doing her experiment.

Her voice may not be a diva material, but certainly enough to please him. He would sit there watching her or he could bring his game, homeworks or books. At first, she sang English songs all the time to avoid Bitch-Sensei 'punishment' for every pronunciation mistakes done. But now she would occasionally sang Japanese songs as well.

And there were times he chimed in too.

This was the source of school legend which still circulated in their school. Nobody should enter any lab where the devil and his beloved witch were singing. Actually, the most that will happen to you would be walking in while occasional romantic mood hit them.

The boy would ensure that you kept your mouth shut, so except for Class 3-E members, nobody knew the truth.

_You're on the other side_

_As the skyline splits in two_

_I'm miles away from seeing you_

Their last year in high school was a breaking point.

He frowned as he handed her a letter. It had the emblem of a famous Ivy League university. An anxious face quickly turned into a big smile and congratulatory followed almost immediately, until realization hit her.

_I can see the stars_

_From America_

_I wonder, do you see them, too?_

"I'll wait."

He sighed at the look of determination she had.

"It's going to be tough. You know graduation is not the end of it."

She welcomed his embrace as he pulled her close. It was just the nice timing to hide her wet eyes.

"I know."

_So open your eyes and see_

_The way our horizons meet_

_And all of the lights will lead_

_Into the night with me_

The only time they can meet face-to-face was during their Skype session, which was difficult to initiate. Her day was his night. So they can only do this during public holiday and weekends.

But that didn't stop him from sending a cake and gift on her birthday. Neither does it stop her from somehow sending him her newest prank material. They would Snapchat at times, showing each other what they were currently doing.

But on the other times, only dreams unite them back together.

_And I know these scars will bleed_

_But both of our hearts believe_

_All of these stars will guide us home_

There were times when they felt they cannot take the distance anymore. They just wanted to see each other. All their friends can hold hand, hug and kiss their partner. They can go together on dates, to have fun, be there for each other physically during assignment times, when they just need comfort. But not her and him.

And they have to admit, temptations always lurk in the corner.

They almost broke apart. The words were on the end of their tongue already.

But…

"May I sit here?"

Her heart skipped a beat as a familiar voice disrupted her thoughts.

He had certainly grew. While his height didn't change much, his physique got more fit thanks to routine exercises. His face, while maintaining his boyish mischievousness, has mostly matured into a man's expression. His style still didn't change from back then.

Including the red shawl around his neck. The identical pair.

"Karma, how-" her fingers trembled in disbelief, "But… You said.."

"Well…" he grinned, "A surprise won't hurt anyone."

His expression immediately shifted to worry as her eyes welled up.

"Eh? Oi Manami, I-"

Everybody was busy squealing when she got up and hugged him. Some were actually looking for a camera to see whether it was a movie shoot. The owner, on the other hand, just smiled understandingly as the couple had frequented his place back from their middle school days.

And he, while stunned and having his cheeks tinted red, patted her in the head.

"I'm home."

_And I know these scars will bleed_  
_But both of our hearts believe_  
_All of these stars will guide us home_

* * *

Hello Everyone,

I just had this idea pop up in my brain after seeing there are not many stories on Karma x Okuda, despite some sort of 'confirmation' on this ship in the fan book. This will be collection on one shots revolving around this couple. I had some ideas in mind and would do different genre, and rating but nothing overly explicit (at most suggestive).

PM me if you had any suggestion of scenarios or theme for this couple!


	2. Unexpected (Part I, v2)

Story time 2: Unexpected (Part I)

Summary: The chapter one of their stories, because all tale has a beginning.

Timeline: Before and during Kyoto Trip.

Edit: This time, I put a timeline for everybody's reference. The main plot of the story did not change, but I took liberty with wordings to smoothen the story flow.

* * *

With our school trip approaching, Kayano-san invited me to join her group, while Nagisa-kun asked Akabane Karma. Even though he got an honour student's grade, I heard he was sadistic, provocative, and violent. He had been suspended because of it and I could see why from all his attempts to assassinate Koro-sensei by himself. His bloodlust was not aimed at me, yet it still sent shiver down my spine.

When he showed us the photo evidence of him blackmailing other students, my brain immediately screamed to me that taking him into our group was a bad idea. Sugino-kun voiced out the same concern, but Nagisa-kun reasoned that he felt bad since they had known each other for a long time. In the end, our group of six was consisted of Kayano-san, Kanzaki-san, Nagisa-kun, Sugino-kun, Akabane-san and I.

During planning, everybody except of Akabane-san and I suggested places after places with enthusiasm. Actually, I had something to say, but my mind could not help but thinking: 'what if the places I suggested were bad? What if I made the whole conversation awkward? What if they thought I was weird?'

It suddenly brought back voices that I thought I had forgotten.

_"Okuda-san? That girl is so ugly yet she gave me a cold shoulder. Who still wear braids and that kind of round glasses?"_

_"She can only talk about science. Such a bore."_

_"You are not invited, Okuda-san. We do not want you to preach periodic table to us while we are singing."_

_"Just shut up, Okuda-san. Nobody asked for your opinion."_

_"Funny right, that kind of look and she still fall to Class E. Makes me wonder how she study."_

"Okuda-san."

His low voice brought me back to reality. His eyes glanced at me for a moment before disinterestedly looking back at the group, "Just say it."

"Eh?"

Still sitting in his carefree manner, he spoke, "Ne, everyone. Okuda-san has some suggestions here. You all got a tad bit too enthusiastic so she feels bad for interrupting."

In instant, everybody fell into silence. If I could scream, I would. In fact, I was on the verge of bolting from my seat. I did not expect Akabane to chide them and put me as the center of attention. Now they were going to get annoyed and-

"Eh? Did we?" Kayano-san responded, "Sorry Okuda-san, we got a bit too carried away here."

"If you have any suggestion, feel free to suggest any." Kanzaki-san added with elegant smile gracing her lips, "We probably miss out some places, so do not hesitate to voice out."

I could not believe it. They apologized, even though it was not their fault. They actually said it was okay for me to speak. It gave me a spark of confidence, "Uh, so... About this route..."

It was difficult at first, but I gave my all. Even as I stammered, nobody tried to hurry me or shot an irritated look. When I paused, unable to find the words I needed, they pitched in to help. Akabane-san remained silent, but he gave a supportive look to me the whole time, as if urging me to continue and told me that I was doing a great job.

I had to thank him after this.

Soon, our finalized pocket guidebook was done and everybody went home. By some luck, my house and his turned out to be in the same general direction, so Akabane-san and I ended up walking together after everybody parted ways. The journey was silent, saved for our surroundings.

It did not take very long to notice our height differences or how good looking he was. His mercury-coloured eyes accentuated his red hair very well, giving him a striking appearance. Compared to me, I was plain and unattractive. My fingers were not enough to count how many girls had looked at his way appreciatively and those who glared daggers as if I was an eyesore.

I turned my face away, trying my best to ignore the uncomfortable sensation. I learnt this lesson the hard way at first grade after getting beaten up by my classmates for accidentally staring at them. From that point on, I learnt to hung my head down and kept moving, avoiding eye contacts with anyone.

Suddenly, Akabane-san increased his pace. He was not running, but I had to jog a bit in order to catch up with him. He asked me which street my house was in, and before I knew it, we were approaching the street which led to my house. He slowed down, but we would reach my house in no time.

Realising this was it, my heart was thumping loudly inside my chest. It was a struggle to force any word out of my mouth when my stomach tightened in knots.

"A-Akabane-san." I forced myself to look at him, "T-thank you for j-just now."

Upon those words, he stopped in his tracks and gave me a piercing look. I wish I could have dig a hole to hide myself. His tall stature only made things worse as he loomed imposingly over me with his height.

"U-uh, I mean during the trip planning." Taking a deep breath, I smiled, "Thank you for helping me to speak out. It was very kind of you."

I averted my eyes. Hopefully the way I smile came out right. The last thing I wanted was to creep somebody out.

"Anytime." It lacked his usual teasing tone. He flashed a quick smile when I looked back, "By the way, you can just call me Karma-kun. No need to be so formal."

It surprised me. Was this really the delinquent and troublemaker everyone say? My chest suddenly felt lighter, and the memory of him these last few weeks seemed to matter less.

"Let's go. I'll drop you home."

My belief was further strengthened when Kayano-san and Kanzaki-san were kidnapped. He took all opportunities presented to beat their kidnappers, but I noticed how his eyes were flooded with concern when Kayano-san shouted for help. When I felt down for being a useless one and ran away, he praised my decision as the right thing to do.

So even though what I would say would be against the popular opinion, I did not care. I believe he should be seen as how he was, not what the rumor said. Plus, did not Koro-sensei tell me to hone my language skills?

"Hmmm… He's really not that scary though."

XXXXX

When I first entered class E, my impression of Okuda Manami perhaps was the same with most people: a typical studious nerd. I did not mean to stereotype, but she fitted perfectly: two pigtail braids, round glasses, uniform which strictly followed school regulation plus timid and innocent look. There was no reason for me to pay attention to her when there was a very interesting Mach 20 octopus as target.

Until that day.

I had decided to stay until I had more information about our teacher. Still, lessons were boring and a total waste of time. The good thing was, Class E's mountain was a perfect hiding spot. Nobody would take an effort to climb, much less explore the area just to look for those skipping school assembly or class. Koro-sensei, Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei also were not particularly strict on attendance. In the vast mountain region, I would nap somewhere before going back home.

Then on one quiet afternoon, I saw her walking inside our science laboratory. My first reaction was to hide. Years of living alone had taught me there were times when you should observe the situation before doing anything. On the table I could spot several test tubes, few chemical bottles and other lab equipment.

It did not take long for me to be astonished. Some boys and girls our age tended to be careless and reckless, but she was measuring, mixing and doing everything with utmost care and precision. In the end, she took two covered test tubes and one covered Erlenmeyer flask home after airing the room and put all cleaned equipment back to the store room. If my memory served me right, the content should be thallium acetate, sodium hydroxide and aqua regia.

What kind of middle school students could make all those? That was totally awesome.

But when she presented it the next day, I stifled a laugh. On the next day, I could not hold back anymore. But I never meant to be insulting. If anything, I respected her effort and agreed with our teacher. Her skill was definitely useful for our assassination.

Then during our Kyoto trip planning, I never expect myself to help her twice.

I could easily see that she wanted to say something. Since everybody was too immersed in their discussion, nobody noticed that she opened her mouth just to close it again for many times. Out of pity, I lent her a hand. At least the others were decent enough to react accordingly and she fitted in just fine.

The second time was when we walked home. When she turned her face away, one glance was all it took for me to identify her source of distress. But I really did not know how to make her feel better. Comforting words were something alien to me, that was Isogai and Nagisa-kun's expertise. So I just walked faster; she would have to keep up with me and had no time to pay attention to them.

But turned out she could do something unexpected too.

People would never bother to thank me at all. They would rejoice if I did not do anything whenever I passed by. Anybody except Nagisa-kun would cower at the sight of me and ran with their tails between their legs. I was used to it. In fact, I enjoyed that terrified look on their face. It gave me a sense of superiority knowing these people feared me.

Yet she did with one of cutest and most heart-warming smile I've ever seen.

It took a while to rationalize the warm feeling and rapid heartbeat I got from seeing her smile. In return, I figured it was not a bad idea to ask her to use my first name.

From that point on, she started to shine more than other girls in all classes to me. So when the boys asked me about who I liked, I did not even need to look at the list.

"Hmm… Okuda-san maybe?"

* * *

Hello all,

This is something I wanted to make as series, talking about how Karma and Okuda got closer, leading to conclusion in the fan book. Note they did not like each other here; Karma basically treat her as the most interesting out of the girls, but not in romantic way. Only later I would show the growing feeling in the pair, relating to each Arc and canon events.


	3. Takaoka

Story Time 3: Takaoka

This was requested by Guest, on the couple's reaction to Takaoka-Sensei. (Sorry I put your name wrongly!)

Summary: When the new teacher came, he had a hunch. Who knows it is actually true?

* * *

Any parents taught their kids not to accept free things from strangers, as most of the time the intention behind the action was far from pure.

Well, everybody dismissed that rule now in the face of free pastries.

I didn't trust adults that much in the first place, even more so a teacher. Even for that Octopus, Bitch-Sensei, or Karasuma-sensei which I had grown to tolerate, I still skipped class every now and then. So when I saw the one coming was not someone I knew, I immediately slipped out of the class. If not for my huge distrust, I would have been the first to dig in all those sweets. My eyes were fixated on his movements, his expression, and his speech throughout the whole class session.

Conclusion was fast to come to everybody.

XXXXX

"You do not like him?

My attention was diverted from vials and tubes in front of me to the red-haired boy as he toyed around with the anti-sensei knives in his hand. The way he juggled it makes me jealous at times. He never put much time to train it, yet his hand could nimbly handle them as if he had been practicing for a long time.

"Something feels forced." His attention was still fixated on the knives he twirled, "His interaction, his smile, everything."

"B-but perhaps he was just trying to be friendly?"

I tried my best to defend the teacher. The pastries he bought are delicious, and I overheard some girls talking about how it was not cheap to afford. When a teacher made such effort, he should have good intention. True, I would feel awkward if an adult male suddenly slung their arms around my shoulder so casually. But in normal context, it was just how people express that a person was close to them. Plus,it's difficult for adults to think how they should befriend teenagers, so cases of 'trying too hard' was not unheard of.

I expected him to argue back, but instead he just sheathed the knife and shrugged, "Perhaps. But he seemed like he will be a pain in the ass, so I would be skipping PE for a while. You are welcomed to come along."

There was no way I can convince him not to do so, and he knew I didn't like to skip classes. So I just mouthed a quick "okay" and proceed with my experiment. Today I am trying to create an antidote to counteract one of poison I managed to make. If I can create poisons, my hands better be ready with cure for the worst case.

Our topic soon switched to other lesson he skipped, how I would present the antidote to Koro-sensei then to homework which need to be submitted soon. By the time I finished, the sun had set so he insisted to walk me home.

We bid our farewell and parted ways as soon as we reached my house. But before my steps carried me inside, he suddenly called me.

"Ne, Okuda-san?"

"Yes?"

Normally, Karma-kun never hesitate. But I can see that in his face before his lips curled into a frown.

"Be careful."

XXXXX

I learnt my lesson now: Karma-kun is good at reading people.

By the time I saw the schedule, I can feel color leaving from my face. This was definitely not a schedule for a middle-school student.

I couldn't be happier when Maehara-san stood up for what most of us felt. But the feeling was quick to fade. When Sensei punched Maehara-san and slapped Kanzaki-chan without any hesitation, my hands were the only things preventing horrified gasp and screams escaping my lips.

Some of my classmates were braver than others. Isogai-san steadily stood behind Maehara-san in support as the latter's face scrunched in pain. Nagisa-kun, Kayano-chan and Sugino-kun immediately rushed to Kanzaki-chan. As for me, I stepped back as far as possible to avoid being in his hand reach. Our school trip made me realize how, perhaps half thanks to my appearance, I was not that noticeable and this enabled me to do a lot of things. Karasuma-sensei rushing to both of them also helped a lot in redirecting the attention.

When our crazy teacher proposed his challenge, I was terrified. Who among us can hold a candle against a professional military personnel? We were just middle school students who only began to receive training.

But when Karasuma-sensei picked his champion, my eyes widened in astonishment.

XXXXX

I am growing anxious by now.

I had looked through the classes, but she was not there. Every day she would at least come to study, read her chemistry books or do her experiment. So what could possibly stopping her from coming?

Chill ran through my spine almost immediately. Okuda-san was never a star in physical training even among the girls, so she would be the first target for not fulfilling the standard of rigorous training which our new teacher most likely would enforce. Anger rushed through my body as I clenched my fist hard around an anti-sensei knife. If he dare to touch her, I swore…

*ring*

Perhaps I was a bit too enthusiastic that I grabbed the phone in split seconds after the ring. A sigh of relief was quick to come once I noticed the sender.

_Okuda Manami_

_2day Karasuma-sensei buys cake for everyone ^_^ I got some cream puffs and fruit pies._

_Go my house tonight to pick it?_

A normal teenage boy would easily pull a bunch of innuendos from the last sentence, but I knew well what she meant. So I just replied and went straight to her house., whistling a bit too happily on my way.

XXXXX

"So that's what happened. Interesting…"

Okuda immediately retold everything that happened today. For someone who said she was not good in talking, she got her point across really well. I made a point to myself to express my amazement to Nagisa when I saw him. I knew he was far from a girl despite his looks, but for him to hide such bloodlust and skill was beyond me.

"I feel terrible." She sighed, "Everybody rushed to help their friends while I just try to distance myself."

"You did the right thing." I responded while taking the last bite of cream puff to my mouth, "That fatso is powerful. If he went berserk, the best option for everyone was to scatter. You would make an easy target since you cannot run so fast."

"Y-you are right there."

I knew for a fact my words did make her feel a bit better for a split second, but there was still a bit of guilt expressed in her face and… sadness?

Shit, now I made her feel useless, weren't I?

I actually didn't mean that she was weighing everyone down or useless. Physical things was just not her forte and it was nothing to be ashamed about; I mean everybody had their own strengths and weaknesses. In fact, her decision was better than trying to be hero and causing trouble for everybody. Still, I should have worded it better.

So instead, I muttered:

"I'm glad you are not hurt though."

My brain was cursing loudly at this point. Where did those words come from?

Yet the only expression I got was her confused face.

"Did you say something Karma-kun? It was a bit too fast so…"

"Ah, never mind. I'm just glad everything ends well." I quickly said, immediately directing my attention to my phone. Why I felt disappointed here, "And look at the time. I better go back now."

With the silence of the night accompanying me, my consciousness was questioning what I was thinking when uttering those words. Yet somewhere inside of me admitted, if Takaoka-sensei or whoever tried to do anything funny with her, I wouldn't hesitate to use violence.

Ah, I better just focus on walking home. Best not to think about it now.

* * *

Hello all,

So how was it? It's quite difficult to get the characters correct as I felt a lot of my personal experience came into play. I snapshotted the chapter for me to observe on what's going on and got the best of their characters. Please point out if I made them too OOC.

Manami appeals to me as a girl who was straightforward, naive and innocent, but in some scenes she had shown that she had her opinion and willing to stand up for it, even though she never really put her foot down. Karma was a guy who act all violent, yet having a gentle heart and soft spot here and there. Even though he seemed more mature and logical than his peers, he also had his teen streaks, such as hiding the fact he studied diligently or embarrassed when found out he was frustrated over his results.

I don't like to put title like "…. POV" as I felt it disturbed reading flow, so I hoped I managed to point out clearly whose POV it was in each paragraph.

For others, please be patient with me as I got big project coming which require me to spend weekend time for work. I will try my best to accommodate everybody's request, but it was quite hard to force my muse to work ^_^


	4. Promise (v2)

Story time 4: Promise

This is for you kawaiichoconeko! A fluffy story during either school trip/class :D

Summary: Everyone was disappointed with the assassination in Okinawa but soon realised there were greater danger coming in their way. It was here a girl and a guy made a promise under the moon and the stars.

Timeline: Demon Time, before they start infiltrating the hotel.

* * *

It would be a lie if I was not about to cry.

After the phone call, Karasuma-sensei explained the situation. The culprit demanded Nagisa-kun and Kayano-san to hand Koro-sensei in an hour, or he would destroy the only cure for whatever virus our classmates were infected with. Without cure, that person made it clear whoever was infected would die in a week.

A strangled gasp escaped my throat. My eyes wildly darted from one sick classmates to another before landing at Kanzaki-san. Her eyes were glazed, but I could feel her weakly tensing on my lap. They did not deserve this. None of us deserved this. Assassins or not, all of us were just middle-schoolers. We still had a long way in front of us, so why? What kind of people-

My thought was interrupted when I felt a cold hand touching mine. Kanzaki-san's smile were faint, but her eyes fondly gazed at me as her hand squeezed mine. Her voice croaked, "Calm down, Okuda-san. They will find a way."

I nodded wordlessly, feeling worthless that the sick had to be the one to assure me. She was right. I could not give up now.

It was easier said than done. Everybody was out of ideas, and the time limit only exacerbated their desperation. I had all respect for Nagisa-kun and Kayano-san, but letting both of them went on their own was a suicide move. Terasaka-kun was right in that respect. On the other hand, Takebayashi-kun was also correct. If it was an unidentified virus, hospitals would not have any cure for it. Even Karasuma-sensei, who was always calm and composed, seemed to be at his wits-end.

"I think I might have a solution."

Koro-sensei's calm voice brought a glimmer of hope. Except for Takebayashi-kun and I, everybody else was called forward. They were discussing in a hushed voice when the staffs came with rolls of futon, bags of ice, cups and straws, buckets, towels and basic medical supplies. With two adults to help us, it did not take very long to move all ten students to their futon.

I just sat back next to Kanzaki-san when Karasuma-sensei voice rang across the room.

"We will send Nagisa-kun and Kayano-san."

My blood ran cold. The air was constricting all of sudden, and my limbs stiffened.

"We cannot do that! That's suicide!" Terasaka bellowed, "How are they supposed to fight adults?"

"Karasuma-sensei, there must be-" Isogai's speech was cut short when Karasuma-sensei raised his hand.

"His idea was too dangerous. We don't even know whether his cure is genuine. I cannot afford to lose more of you."

"But!"

"We are sending both of them, end of discussion. I will call our transport. Meanwhile all of you... Should get ready." He turned around and walked away. For a moment, our teacher stopped and looked back from his shoulder, before stepping out to the dark beach.

Terasaka-kun stomped away, cursing out loud about 'the stubborn government dog' with Yoshida-kun in his trail. Fuwa-san and Okano-san huddled together at the edge of the hall as they hugged Kayano-san. Kataoka was about to reach out to them, but retracted her hand and stood by with her head lowered. Yada-san was next to her, sobbing in grief.

On their left, Chiba-kun and Hayami-san leaned on the pillars, not a single word spoken between them as their eyes were casted on their foot. Nearby, Isogai-kun reached out to Nagisa-kun as both sat down facing the beach. The rest of the guys ambled away to their friends with head hung down, their fist clenched at their side.

To my luck, Karma-kun was walking in my direction. He sat next to me, and I wasted no time to question him, "Karma-kun, what happened? Are we really-"

He did not utter a single word, but the grim look in his eyes was all confirmation I needed.

Air rushed out of my lips. My eyes burned, and there was a heavy weight in my chest. This could not be happening. These two were my friends, my close friends. There was no way Karasuma-sensei would be this heartless to send students to their death. There had to be a mistake!

"Okuda-san, lower your head. And clench your fist on your lap."

The specific instruction confused me, but I trusted him, so I did as he said. Afterwards, I could see his shadow looming over me, followed by something solid on my shoulder. I was about to lift my head when his voice whispered, "Keep your head down. We are being watched, so pretend I'm comforting you now. If you want to respond, whisper back. The CCTV won't be able record such fine detail."

There was an uncomfortable feeling from having my movement suddenly restricted. I suddenly realised that he was on to something, "Okay."

"That was just a show. Except Takebayashi and you, everyone else is going. I don't know what that octopus have in mind, but you could probably guess. To buy time, everybody except Nagisa-kun, Kayano-chan and Karasuma-sensei are going to slip out one by one. Sonokawa-san and other members of Ministry of Defence will remain here to watch over both of you."

I nodded. He seemed to be satisfied by this, because the weight vanished from my shoulder. The shadow of his knee moved, and I looked up.

"I'm going for a short walk. Cannot let those pricks ambush us now. Take care of them."

Watching his back, there was a gnawing dread in my chest as he walked further and further. I shook my head when negative thoughts started to form, but it still assaulted me ceaselessly. What if this was the last time I ever saw him? What if he...

That was right.

Nobody knew if this mission would be successful, or what kind of of challenge they would meet. This time they were dealing with adults, and who knew what skills they had. There was a very real possibility that someone could be injured, even with Karasuma-sensei. A great likelihood that someone could actually be death.

Images after images generated inside my mind. My friends' bodies were spread out across the floor, their eyes lifelessly staring at the ceiling. Among them, my eyes singled out a bunch of red locks. His body was full of wound and gashes that created a pool of blood below his body. At his side, one of his arm was bend in such an unnatural angle that it made me sick to the stomach.

Fear completely overtook my senses when I got up and chased after him. My hand only managed to catch the hem of his shirt, but it was enough to stop him in his track. Over and over again, my mind shouted,

_'You cannot die now!'_

I could only hope that what I was doing would only look like a concerned friend to whoever was watching us. At that moment, I did not care if any classmates misunderstood or how embarrassing that my fingers shook like crazy.

"Don't die. Please."

My voice cracked, and I was not sure if he even heard it. I did not dare to look at him, fearing his reaction. I knew that there was no way I could prevent him from going. He was one of the best all-rounder in our class, and probably the best fighter. He had to go.

We stood there for what felt almost forever in silence. The next thing I knew, the fabric slipped from my hand and there was something solid landing on the top of my head.

"Silly girl. I won't die that easily."

When I looked up, my breath was taken away. His current expression was something alien to me. It was warm, and his lips curved into a smile that I could not explain in words.

"I will bring the antidote back. That's a promise."

His hand fell to his side in no time, but it was more than enough to ease my heart.

"Be careful. Take care of them."

XXXXX

Over the night, it was hard work.

I could not imagine what I would have done without Takebayashi-kun. He was very knowledgeable, and readily provided assurance whenever I was in doubt. We changed ice bags, helped our classmates to drink and even assisted those who were about to vomit. During wee hours, their symptoms started to get better, allowing us to take turn to rest. At first, Takebayashi-kun insisted that he did not need it, but I countered that it would affect our performance. Finally he agreed, as long as I took a rest first.

My body was flashing with hot and cold sensation by the time sun had risen. My limbs felt like jelly, but I persisted. This was nothing compared to my classmates who were suffering with the virus or those who went to infiltrate the place. No matter how tempting it was to close my eyes, I forced myself to keep awake.

"Takebayashi-kun, I think we need-"

The words in my mouth was forgotten when there was a faint sound of whirring in the air.

When we looked out, both of us slowly got up to our feet, almost in disbelief. There was a military plane heading to our direction, and it was going lower and lower to the ground. We immediately ran out after asking a staff to look after our friends for a while. My legs were aching, but suddenly they were filled with energy as we dashed to follow the plane to its landing pad.

Isogai-kun was the first guy I saw, waving excitedly at us. Behind him, everybody slowly disembarked one by one. When we reached, he immediately began,

"Everybody will be fine! Turn out the virus will be innocuous on its own."

"That's great!" I responded, sighing in relief.

"So you know, there-"

When I saw red locks, I was not listening anymore. The conversation was muted, and all that mattered was the boy who just disembarked. His mercury eyes met mine, and a smug smile was plastered on his face, as if saying, 'See, I told you'.

And I could only smile in return, glad that he was back.

* * *

Hello all!

For old readers, you may notice there is a ton of changes within this chapter - yup, I'm rewriting them. It is much longer now, but I hope it give more depths about their characters, since I aim to flesh it out.


	5. Unexpected (Part II)

Story Time 5: Unexpected (Part II)

Summary: Nagisa-kun found something surprising about his old friend.

* * *

You see, Karma-kun was not a bad guy if you had known him for some time. He's just used to living alone, so he was always cautious to protect himself. His aloofness was a shield to hide his uneasiness in trusting others. But at the same time, he was not the type of person who sat quietly when someone provoked and challenged him. That's how he was so powerful and agile, in addition to being cunning and manipulative.

Even with me who had been his friends since first grade, I could see he was still on guard at times. When we first met each other, I could feel there was a brick wall with machine guns between us. He was ready to fire on me at the slightest wrong gesture. While now he had allowed me to pass that wall, I knew he still had his secret weapon somewhere in his sleeves in case I tried anything funny.

So when I saw him interacting with Okuda-san who he just met two months ago, I was amazed. Even with Nakamura who was almost a female version of him minus his sadistic tendency, I never see him this relaxed.

The level of closeness they had increased exponentially after school trip that Maehara-kun actually cringed in fear. Whenever he missed anything during the lesson, she would be his first person to go to. They would talk during lunch break on almost every subject; from today's lesson to newest prank idea. I, Kayano-chan, Sugino-kun and Kanzaki-chan who were having lunch with them on daily basis were genuinely happy for Okuda-san. The poor girl struggled so hard and her effort to express herself had started to show. She also had opened herself more to us.

I personally always thought that he was joking in the school trip to avoid further questioning. So out of curiosity, I commented on this one day. But his reply wiped my smile almost immediately.

"Okuda-san has almost zero abilities in close or long-range combat. Even if she tried to poison me, I would be able to dodge it and knock her out in instant. Plus like I said before, she could enhance my shenanigans."

His assessment on her pros and cons was spot on, but it spoke clearly of his intention. A mix of rage and disappointment boiled inside me. Okuda-san was naïve and too honest to a fault, but she definitely didn't deserve to be used like a convenient tool. This may permanently damage her trust against others. I cannot believe my old friend, who got into suspension for protecting a _senpai_ from Class 3-E did such a horrid thing to a classmate.

On the next day, I decided to stay back knowing Okuda-san would do her experiment after school hours had ended. It was also the perfect opportunity since Karma-kun was not walking home together with me, claiming he got something else to do. I tried my best to calm down and tiptoed my way to our school building, while my head was reciting the correct words to be said to my classmate. In fact, I had prepared something to cheer her up.

But it didn't take long for my thought to be broken by a laughter from a familiar voice. Cautiously, I peered inside. They were definitely trying to make some prank concoction judging from Karma-kun face.

But that was not what make me slack jawed.

Okuda-san was sweet and kind, but I could tell she needed time to be completely open with us. Yet the glasses girl I saw now was laughing and talking happily without any reservation. Karma-kun also looked genuinely content with her company, in fact it was the gentlest expression of him I've ever seen so far.

I couldn't help but smiling as my mind pieced the two together.

I turned back quietly and walked home, only to come across my homeroom teacher on the way. He was writing down inside a small book titled "Class 3-E's Pairing", while using other tentacle to pour some tea for himself. It didn't take him very long to acknowledge my presence.

"Nagisa-kun."

"Koro-sensei. What are you doing here?"

"Observing Karma-kun and Okuda-san of course. They made a good material for my novel, The Delinquent and The Nerd." our teacher replied, smiling like an old man who were reminiscing his teenage days. I smiled sarcastically, but didn't reject his offer to pour a cup of tea for me., "So Nagisa-kun, may I ask why are you here as well?"

I didn't have any obligation to answer him, but somehow I felt like telling him. It's not like he wouldn't realise if I was lying. So I let the cat out of the bag, while taking his offer on sweet snack and sipping green tea. I wondered how he can afford all of these when he complained about his paycheck at the end of every month.

"That's very admirable of you to do so. Even though Karma-kun is your close friend, you stand up for your classmate who is in weaker position. That's full marks for you." his face now has a big O which he used whenever we answered correctly in class, "However, I trust you have found out that it's not like what you think it is?"

"Yeah." I sighed, while my eyes glanced at our school building, "I just wonder why he couldn't be honest about it."

I was sure Sensei could see the slight disappointment on my face as I stared into my cup. He suddenly gave me a pat on the head.

"Don't you think it may be partly because of Okuda-san too, Nagisa-kun?"

"Eh?"

"Okuda-san is a very shy girl. I'm sure you know that Karma-kun's popularity is comparable to Isogai-kun or Maehara-kun."

I immediately noticed his point. Our main building's girls were scary. Considering their treatment on us during monthly assembly, picking on my classmate for befriending a hot guy in school would not be too far-fetched. Even they tried to bully me for laughing at Bitch-sensei during assembly.

"So far, I have observed their interaction for three weeks. It started from Karma-kun's request to make a chloroform. I was worried he would let her do all the work and fool around, but he actually participated and followed her instruction with care. After the experiment, he also helped her to clean up, bring back everything to the store room and walked her home. At first their conversation in passing were awkward, until they found out they had a similar predicament as only child whose parents are not home most of the time. The similarities flowed from there and the result is what you can see now."

I was at loss of words, "Wow, Koro-sensei. You are such a stalker..."

"That's what Mach 20 is supposed to be most useful for. Recently I saw them exchanging phone numbers so things should be getting exciting."

I could only half laughed at his proud declaration as if he was doing a mission to save humanity with juicy gossip. Our teacher didn't mention it, but I knew what I had to do with information which I just acquired.

Until now, I only smiled if anyone asked anything about the two of them.

* * *

Hello all!

I decided to explain the couple's progress from other classmates' perspective, to which I chose Nagisa-kun. In few occasions, I noticed Karma always tried to look 'cool', something common for his age and myself when I was 15 after all, hence how this story come to my mind. The time for this would be sometime after school trip, but before Summer Time.

So, I was confused on which story I should take on first. All the ideas already swim in my head, but they are fighting to be the first. So I am letting you choosing which one should be better! **You can vote by going into my bio and go for the poll**.

\- Summer Festival

Summary: Nobody saw Karma after he threatened a stall. So where was he actually?

\- Cheer Up

Summary: Karma just flung his first semester exam. What would Manami do to stop him from feeling down?

\- Cold (will have two parts for this)

Summary: The thought of just two of them alone in his house for a study session is enough to make her flustered. But she didn't know what fate has in store for her….

\- Just... Do it, for God's Sake!

Summary: It is as clear as a day, yet nobody make a move. So Class 3-E, now in their first high school year come with a plan for their red-haired devil and the chemistry angel.

For my reviewers: Akabane-san, Title Unwanted, animeandmangafangirl, kawaiichoconeko, TheRoseShadow21, guest, himecoco, Mugipyon, natsuki DDS, leobaskervilleglen4, helsa, adorable and love. I didn't reply personally to the messages, but I just want to let you know how your review give me the spirit to keep writing. You know people see your story, but you don't know if they love it or hate it. Thank you for spending your time just to let me know what you think.

Thank you also to those who have followed and favorite the story. I hope my story kept everyone entertained and happy about this couple ;)


	6. Cheer Up (Part I)

Story Time 6: Cheer Up

Summary: Karma just flung his first semester exam. What would Manami do to stop him from feeling down?

* * *

Okuda Manami had a smile on her face for the rest of the day. Her achievement in Science was fantastic, beating the infamous chairman's son, Gakushuu Asano and the best in science among The Five Virtuosos, Koyama Natsuhiko. It was hard to describe the overflowing happiness in mix of shyness and awkwardness that she experienced when the whole class rejoiced and congratulated her. It felt good to finally being able to contribute to Class 3-E's assassination effort. A message of "Congrats Manami, we are so proud of you!" from her parents was the icing to the cake.

But now she had an important personal mission.

Sweet-natured as she was, the girl quickly agreed to do a favor for her homeroom teacher. But when his smilw morphed into a devious grin, she feared for the worst.

"I believed you are close with Karma-kun, correct?"

"Yes, I am." A relief sigh escaped her lips before the girl realised what she just blurted out. Her face was flushed within seconds, "I-I mean…"

"As a friend, of course." He was back to his normal face, seemingly satisfied with her reaction, "You see, Karma-kun didn't perform as well. While he still managed to get 13th position for composite score, not scoring in top 5 in Math has hit his ego quite hard."

The glasses girl half laughed at the fact. She could only dream to reach that position. But then again, her redhead friend had scored near perfect in the 1st midterm.

"Sensei believe frustration is important for Karma-kun to learn from his mistakes. However, I believe he had seen his error. It's not good to dwell in failure for too long. Can I count on you to cheer him up?"

_"Cheer Karma-kun up huh… But how am I supposed to do that?"_

While running after the rest of the classmate, her head was brainstorming with few possible ideas. He knew Karma-kun like sweets, comics, games, and on top of that, pranks. But creating a prank concoction would take some time and he would have been home by then. The poison glasses was not too sure either whether town library owned the comics he liked.

_"I suck at it, but it seemed to be the only choice now…" _

So when her eyes came across her delinquent friend, she immediately called him. Like a magic spell, it stopped the boy in his track.

"Okuda-san. What's up?"

"L-let's go to the arcade! Exam just ended, time to have some fun after all studying. Then afterwards we can… We can…" she could feel his eyes telling her to go on, "Grab dinner or something?"

She tried her best to keep her tone natural. But as soon as they fell into a quick silence, her mind was filled with endless questions. Did she make her attempt too obvious? What if he refuse? What other things could she do?

His eyes looked deep into hers, before he replied,

"Sure, why not?"

XXXXX

Shooting game was a walk in the park, thanks to aiming for a Mach 20 creature on daily basis. The arcade staff could swear that if those two joined competition for Silent Hill, they would have been a champion.

Other games were completely different story though.

While the redhead seemed to work his magic around all games, the girl had to chase after her bounced basketballs and hockey disc, almost slipped twice while playing Pump-it-Up, and would have died if it was actually her inside Mario Kart. To add salt to the wound, a kid barely older than ten was finishing a round of the racing game with complete ease beside her.

All pride the glasses girl had from her exam suddenly vanished into the air. Apart from studying and creating poison, her other skills were close to zero.

"Don't worry, you will get the hang of it once you played them often enough." He replied, while his eyes concentrated on claw in the glass box, "Got it!"

Her hands clapped as he knelt to take the prize. It was a black rabbit with a red ribbon and cat bell tied around its neck. She leaned closer to admire the cute doll, but his hand was quick to offer.

"It's okay Karma-kun, I-"

"No, I want you to have it." His tone was firm, "A thank you present for someone who cheered me up, even though she knew she sucks at arcade games."

Even though a particular word was supposed to be hurtful, it didn't have that impact. The only thing crossing her mind now was how foolish she was to think he didn't see through her.

Hesitantly, her hand reached for the rabbit. Her thumb pressed into the stuffed toy, as if testing whether what happened in front of her was real. There was a foreign feeling rushing through her, a happiness which was different from when her parents and friends congratulated her. And she didn't know how to express it.

So the only thing she could say was:

"Thank you, Karma-kun."

It was difficult to take his eyes off her. A tint of blush complemented her gentle gaze and smile very well as the nerd cooed at the bunny. Involuntarily, his lips curved into a smile which he never know he had.

The redhead had to admit that his guy classmates got to be blind to easily side glance this girl. Just look at how cute she-

Wait, what the heck? Did he really just…

If not for her being completely engrossed with her new possession, she might have seen something very interesting. However, the boy had regained his composure when his knuckle came in contact softly with her head. Okuda flinched, despite the lack of impact.

"Next time, let's go to something you like too. Movies and sweets cafe are totally cool with me. We can always set a compromise."

"O-okay."

By that time, the sun had long set and the whole town was bustling with lights from nearby shop. As if to confirm his guess on time, his stomach had started to grumble in protest. The redhead slipped his hand back to his pockets.

"Since it's getting late, how about getting dinner together?"

"Eh? Y-you didn't have to…"

"You said before that we will grab dinner or something right? I am yet to congratulate you on your test result, so at least let me treat you for a dinner. You've paid for the arcade after all."

Without giving her any time to retort, he walked away. It was only then she realised that he had grabbed her phone. The girl made a small run before both of them walked side by side to their destination, her gadget was back in her possession.

XXXXX

Unbeknownst to them, a certain yellow creature was hiding behind a bush on the side of the road. People passed by with caution and glanced suspiciously, as this huge man had his eyes fixed at a pair of middle school students. One tentacle was used to write his notes, while other was used to snap some pictures.

"Today, Karma-kun had a date in arcade with Okuda-san and won her a doll. Then he insisted to take her for dinner. Awwww~" a light shade of pink emerged on his yellow cheeks. It was clear that he was in a full fan girl mode, what's with the flowers floating around him.

However, it didn't take very long for a police officer to notice an abnormally tall man, looking completely suspicious in hat and black sunglasses.

"Hey, what are you doing? And you are not supposed to step on the grass."

"Eh?" His camouflage was supposed to be perfect. Sweat started to form in his face, "I-"

"Sir, please follow me to- Hey, don't run away!"

To his chagrin, the officer chased him with admirable speed. The octopus teacher couldn't use his Mach 20 speed in public after all. The pair, on the other hand, never notice the commotion behind them.

* * *

Hello everybody!

So one down. I was about to make their dinner scene, but realised it would be toooo long (I tried to keep each chapter around 1000ish at most). I'm thinking to make it as part 2, in which I would tell why Karma said stuffs about running away at school assembly and Okuda being all shaky.

Anyway, read and review! If you are too shy to post publicly, feel free to PM me.

kuroneko


	7. Summer Festival (v2)

Story Time 7: Summer Festival

Summary: Nobody saw Karma after he threatened a stall. So where was he actually?

Timeline: Shock Time

* * *

It was the last day of summer break. If only a certain octopus had informed them far ahead, everybody would have been able to make it. Akabane Karma went to lottery stall and managed to blackmail its owner into giving him a game system, while the rest was making a killing in whichever stall they were visiting. Afterwards, all students of class E assembled at one end of the festival site, enjoying a clear view of the fireworks.

But he was not there with them.

Thirty minutes before the fireworks started, the ginger-haired boy had stepped out from the place. His trained kinetic vision scanned around the perimeter, trying to single out the most suitable location for his purpose. Finally, he settled for one of the trees in front of the festival entrance. It was not touched by the crowd, yet it would allow him to see everybody who were coming in. Leaning his back on the solid trunk, he opened his phone and started typing.

_5 minutes ago_

_Okuda Manami: I just reached the train station._

_Okuda Manami: Where to meet?_

_Now_

_Akabane Karma: A tree to the left of the entrance. You will see it when you come in._

His phone beeped in no time.

_Okuda Manami: Okay. See you. _

His eyes lifted up, scanning the incoming queue in front of him. Minutes passed by as he waited for a familiar face to pop up. Based on her last message, she should be here anytime soon.

"Karma-kun!"

He looked around for the owner of that familiar voice, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he noticed a girl around his age walking to his direction. The boy narrowed his eyes. He did not know this girl, but there was a spark of recognition in her eyes. He racked his brain on who she could possibly be, before planning to best way to ignore her. Fawning girls spoiled his mood faster than annoying guys.

The ominous vibe he emitted should have scared most, but it did not stop the girl from approaching. He was ready to utter insults until she spoke, "Sorry, the _geta_ are old. So I cannot..."

Suddenly, the world went still.

From her voice, he knew this girl was Okuda Manami. Yet at the same time she was not. Okuda-san wore glasses and tied her hair in twin pigtail braids. The girl before him wore no glasses and had her hair let down. The wavy locks cascaded slightly beyond her shoulders from a crown of braid, and a cherry blossom _kanzashi_ was pinned to one side of her head. White lily of the valley pattern bloomed across the hem of her _yukata_, contrasting the dark fabric like a full moon in night sky.

'_Is this really his partner in crime? She is-'_

"-ma-kun? Karma-kun!"

Her voice, slightly louder than usual, finally brought him out of trance. His sight immediately locked with her purple irises, which immediately decided that the ground was an interesting specimen as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. It took him a while to realise he had been gaping at her for who knew how long, and probably looking like an idiot or a pervert on top of that. His cheeks warmed up, and he immediately averted his eyes.

_'Get a grip Karma, it's Okuda Manami. Okuda-san. The crazy dedicated chemist, your partner in crime, your close friend', _he mused to steel himself. Even as he repeated this, his sight and mind had a different idea altogether.

He hesitantly turned to her. Her finger tucked a loose strand to the back of her ear, and his eyes followed through with every motion. He mentally slapped himself.

"Do I look weird?"

There was a mixture of self-consciousness and anxiety in her question which made him forgot whatever he just felt. All he felt now was wanting to cheer her up, which was a good thing.

"No, it's just... Different. In a good way." he added the last part quietly, "Come, let's go."

Once they were out of the entrance queue, he navigated both of them back to class 3-E's rendezvous point. They were stopped in their track by the sight of crowds clogging the only pathway to that place. To be honest, he could probably pass through if he wanted to. However, with her, there was a great chance that they would be separated.

"I don't think it's a good idea to force ourselves in." She frowned, "Should we just meet them after the fireworks?"

"Good call." The boy scanned around, and his eyes found a lone temple on top of the hill, with a staircase leading to its base. He pointed, "What about there?"

It took his mind a while to register that she was not wearing a suitable attire for this. He was about to withdraw his suggestion when she replied, "Sure, let's go!"

To his surprise, she kept up better than his expectation. He had to slow down, but not much compared to usual. There was not a single soul when they arrived, most likely due to the hike. Since there was no place to sit, they just sat on the dry grass. At a crackling sound, they turned their head to catch a red orb slowly rising to the sky, before it exploded into multitude of colors.

His eyes were betraying him as she let out a delighted squeal. Her eyes sparkled with glee, and her smile was blinding. He discreetly sighed and gave in. Looks like deep down he was still a teenage boy after all, even though he would stay away from how far Okajima and Maehara had indulged themselves in. Speaking of those boys, he imagined how they would react at the girl next to him. Somehow the prospect of them admiring (and ogling at) her made his tongue clicked.

Hold on. That seemed like something Sugino would do over Kanzaki.

"Sorry Karma-kun." The girl interrupted his thought, "Had I come earlier, we could have watched this with everyone."

"No sweat. By the way, somebody look different today~"

"Eto..." now this was something he was familiar with, "T-this is my mom's idea. She said I should put an extra effort for special occasions."

_That explained the unusual appearance_, he mused.

"Special? So going with me is a special occasion?" Teasing surprisingly helped clearing his head, "Or Okuda-san wants to look good for somebody in our class~"

She pouted petulantly, "T-that's not it. I did it because Karma-kun..."

_Ba-dump_

"...You, Kayano-san, Kanzaki-san, Nagisa-kun and Sugino-kun are my first friends. All of you are special to me."

Suddenly, the lightheartedness in him dissipated. His chest throbbed, and there was a pang of regret for teasing her.

Why suddenly being called as a friend made him unhappy?

"I have never been to this festival after junior high started. Nobody ever ask me because they think I'm boring, and I'm too scared to ask them. That's why my mom rescheduled our dinner so that I can at least make it for the fireworks. I felt bad because they are going to fly back to America tomorrow, but she insisted."

Her tone implied no answer was needed, and her eyes were fixated on the distant sky. He was grateful, because he was trying to figure out what was going on in his head.

From the start, he acknowledged that she was cute. His strong interest for her started solely from poison, but as they talked, he found that she was more than that. For a while, Karma had noticed how different he was around her compared to others. Somehow he forgot what insult and provocation was in front of her, so any disagreement he had with her naivety turned into a brotherly lecture and a mini tutoring session. There was also a strong sense of protectiveness for her, but he never put much though into it, chalking it to their friendship. Being concerned and putting extra effort to be nicer was something normal, especially with one so innocent about the world.

Slowly but sure, she became less scared of him and grew more confident in speaking her thoughts, while his cautiousness and sense of distance dropped from her compassion and inability to be judgmental. Without realising, it became less and less about poison and more about spending as much time possible with her, even if it was spent in comfortable silence. When she pouted or felt sad, something akin to panic stirred inside of him, and all he could think of was how to make her smile again.

He scoffed back then when Maehara said something about 'chemistry' and 'connection', but after a semester, it seemed like the playboy was right. Today, when she was nothing short of captivating, it was a rude awakening that his feeling had grown into _something_.

His mercury eyes softened as they were fixated on her figure for the umpteenth time. Even if he did, could she even see him in _that_ way? He was not dense, but this girl most likely was.

Plus, how did his feeling matter when the whole world was counting on his class to prevent apocalypse?

_'Let's just wait and see for now... If there is a sign, maybe I...'_

"Those people who found you boring are just not special like us." He crossed his arms behind his head, "Anyway, next year make sure to keep your schedule empty. We'll go to summer festival properly."

The girl nodded, "Sure! I'm counting on you this semester, Karma-kun."

"Me too. So, tomorrow can we start making..."

XXXXX

Just when everybody was about to go home, Koro-sensei wanted to divide everyone in group to go home. It was late at night, so walking alone would be a bad idea. It was then everyone realised somebody was missing the whole time.

"Karma? I saw him blackmailing the lottery stall." Fuwa nodded in confirmation to Okajima's story. Everybody just sighed or half-laughed in reaction to the prankster's antic, "But that's pretty much it."

"Maybe he already went home?" Kayano chipped in. It seemed to be the most plausible reason.

"Let me just give him a call." With his name, the blue-haired boy didn't have to scroll very far in his phone contacts. He waited few rings until it was picked up.

"Hello."

"Ah, Nagisa-kun."

"Karma-kun. Are you back home?"

"Yeah, fireworks are boring. So I went back and played game instead." Indeed, Nagisa could hear a game soundtrack playing in the background.

"I see. Well then, see you tomorrow. Bye!"

"Bye."

"Why did you lie to them?"

His mercury eyes quickly turned to his friend. The girl was barefooted on the grass, a sight that would have confused everyone until they saw the item on her hands. One of the _geta's_ thong had snapped, and it would be impossible to wear. She expected the footwear not to last since it was a pair of old _geta _that belonged to her mom, but she hoped it would do so for at least this night.

"Can you hold this for me?" Ensuring she had held tight to her belongings and his 3DS with one look, he shifted his body to face her shoulder. She realised all too late once the red-haired teenager ducked, placing his arms behind her back and knees before lifting her up. A surprised squeal escaped her lips while her arms automatically wrapped around him.

The girl budged and squirmed, but it did not seem to affect him. When she stopped for a moment, her eyes met his, giving an amused look at her.

"I would be honest if you don't mind them seeing _this_~" her face reddened like a tomato, "Anyway, I am not letting you down until we find a taxi. You cannot use train like this."

At the finality in his voice, she ceased her struggle. As they slowly walked, Okuda hung her head down to hide her crimson cheeks or the stupid smile that threatened to break out from feeling somewhere from happiness, embarrassment and self-conscious. She knew all too well that this was meant to be something couples did, all thanks to Bitch-sensei.

_'But, my geta were broken. So it's sort of emergency right?' _she shook her head_, 'Don't think so much, Manami. Karma-kun is just a good friend. Good friends help each other.'_

It was only so much later in life that class 3-E would know about what happened. There would be teasing, squeals and awwws, but that would be on the future. For now, everyone remained blissfully unaware.

At least, until a certain octopus was curious enough to hack into their phone gallery using Ritsu's help.

* * *

Hey all,

Edit: I had rewrote this chapter. The main plot remained, but there is more elaboration on Karma's side. Hopefully it satisfy everyone.

Sorry for the super late update. These two weeks I had been feeling rather down, so yeah… My inspiration go out of the window.

And WOW, 42 followers! I never even dreamt to have this many. Thank you for all who supported this story. I'm glad I entertained everyone with my series of one-shots

Some glossary:

Yukata: Japanese summer kimono

Kanzashi: hair ornaments for traditional Japanese hairstyle

Geta: Japanese traditional wooden clogs


	8. Cheer Up (Part II)

Story Time 8: Cheer Up (Part II)

Summary: Karma's presence in school assembly has another purpose that only he and Okuda know..

Timeline: After End of First Semester's exam and Closing of First Semester.

* * *

"Karma, since when do you attend all-school assemblies?"

It crossed the boy's mind to reply sarcastically, but he casted the thought aside. The class president had been extremely nice considering his general attitude so far. He rarely ever had any hidden intention and even if he was, it was for the good of class 3-E, including the redhead.

He rolled his eyes, "If I skip now, it'll look like I'm running away. No thanks."

The class president looked confused, but he did not ask further, which Karma appreciated. Since he could not move from his spot and there was still time to kill, his mercury eyes scanned around the room. They came into contact with Five Virtuosos minus Asano who looked away without second thoughts. Satisfied, he looked straight ahead as the closing ceremony of first semester began. He side glanced when he heard a choked gasp from Okuda, but he looked back when he noticed Kataoka comforting her.

There was no way Karma could let anybody in on the actual reason.

XXXXX

After spending their afternoon in arcade, Karma insisted to bring Okuda out for a dinner. Since she let him chose, he led them to one of the high street. If that did not alarm her, the bistro which he decided to enter certainly did. The reception area had a polished wooden floor and ivory-coloured wall, with dim lighting to create romantic atmosphere. Next to a wooden counter, the receptionist was dressed immaculately in a black vest, white shirt, and black trousers. Inside the hall behind him, they could make out seated patrons who looked stunning in dresses and tuxedos.

Before she could said anything or tugged at his cardigan in protest, Karma put his poker face smile to the receptionist and asked for a table for two. She squeezed her eyes and prepare for incoming rejection, but instead they were led to a lavish private room which resembled those that Bitch-sensei described in her lessons. When the waiter came, he only asked for their allergies and dislike before serving them with their meal.

Thankfully, Bitch-sensei had previously taught them about fine dining etiquette. Effortlessly both of them took the correct utensils for each course and gracefully ate. Had they been dressed differently, they would not look out of place in the slightest. Nevertheless, it occurred to her that the plating and taste was too exquisite compared to what they could afford.

"Karma-kun, how are we going to pay for this?" Okuda whispered. It was silly considering they were alone in a private room, but it would be awkward if the waiter outside heard them, "It looks expensive."

"I've threatened the owner to let us eat for free. Remember when I went out just now?" His tone was casual, as if he just mentioned what he had today for breakfast.

"That's obviously a lie." He eyed her quizzically. That response almost made him proud, except...

"You caught me, I lied." Her face beamed with victory. Sighing, he took a spoonful of his strawberry panna cotta, "To tell you the truth... we are going to dine and dash."

"Eeeeeehhhhh?" she could not hold back from shrieking, "T-that's not right! If we are caught, we will be expelled!"

"Now that's Okuda-san that I know~" her cheeks puffed in annoyance and he smirked smugly, "My uncle owns this place. I don't like eating at this kind of posh place, but he is going to disturb me if I do not drop by from time to time. That's my parents' way to check if their son is still alive."

"Oh." Other than that, she was not sure how to react. He told her stories about his parents' travel and the souvenirs they brought, but it was the first time he mentioned them in this way. His flippant attitude remained, but there was something like bitterness for a split second. She considered changing the subject to lighten the mood, but it did not seem right. After almost a semester, she knew she would not notice the difference when he actually wanted to lie or hide something. Yet he told her.

"Do you resent them?"

She slapped a hand to her mouth. From all things, she just blurted out the most forward one.

"...I can see the logic behind their decision. Both of them always dream to travel, but their finances wasn't good back then. Now that I can take care of myself, they want to travel before their health deteriorate. At least I could go out whenever and to wherever I want."

She could infer there was more to it, but for now it would suffice. Her friend rarely opened up about how he felt other than objective observations, so for him to do this was a miracle in itself. It gave her a sense of pride that he trusted her that much.

"That's true. Nobody disturbs me when I am reading or doing my experiment either." She sighed, her own parents came to mind. Unlike his parents, hers had to work overseas to support the family ever since Okuda's grandmother illness wiped their savings and a huge chunk of their income, "I envy Karma-kun. For me, while I enjoy it, it gets a bit lonely going back to an empty home or eating alone."

The red-haired boy tilted his head. It never cross his mind to desire a company at home, or maybe he had forgotten how it felt. Since girls flocked to him for his look and guys did the same to fight with him, it was a welcome change to be alone. To him, teasing Terasaka, small talks while walking home with Sugino and Nagisa, or spending time with her were enough socialisation for the day. At home, he just wanted to drop his guard and did his own thing.

"You can ask Kayano-chan or Kanzaki-san to eat with you." He suggested, "They won't mind."

"They won't, but I do not want them to be in trouble because of me. Once, Kanzaki-san got scolded by her parents for eating out too often and spending too much time outside after school. Kayano-san never had this problem, but I don't want to impose on her. She had many other friends."

It surprised him that the last sentence was said without any hint of jealousy or resentment. The girl smiled, but he knew it was not out of happiness.

"Sorry, please don't mind what I said. Karma-kun bring me to a nice restaurant and I spoiled the mood."

"You can eat with me."

"Eh?"

Karma set down his napkin on the table, "With or without friend, I still have to eat. Just let me know whenever you want to grab dinner."

This time, her smile was warm, "Thank you, Karma-kun. You are a good friend."

Friend. Good friend. It was not a word that's familiar to his ear, but he could get used to it. Especially if he could see that smile more often. There was this nice and fuzzy feeling whenever he saw that smile, and his lips always returned in kind.

Once they were done, both of them exited the restaurant. True to his words, they did not pay a single cent. It made her feel bad, so she left them with a tip. Their conversation continued to their plan for summer; she mentioned a movie that would be released during summer break and he suggested they should go for it. Once they started discussing about summer vacation training plan, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Well, well... Look who we have here."

The Five Virtuosos minus Asano laughed derisively at both of them. Both of them stopped in their track, and Karma positioned himself a step ahead of his friend. The head of biology club adjusted his glasses, "Loser dating a hick, how befitting."

"That's rich coming from the loser in Japanese, English, Social Studies and **Science**." taunted the redhead. His eyes were twinkling with mischief, "And is that jealousy I heard? Must be sad to eat with your sausage fest club ~."

"You talk big for someone in the 13th position, Akabane." Araki Teppei, the top student in social studies retorted, "Somebody who fall so low has no right to speak with us."

"Wait for the next semester then." Okuda piped in from his side. Her purple eyes were filled with defiance, "Once Karma-kun gets serious, he can easily score perfectly in all subjects. Then we'll see if all of you can still say this to him."

"What an annoying bitch! You just won once yet you talk big!" Koyama strode to the girl's direction. He raised his arm, "I shall teach you a lesson!"

Anticipating the same move from their library rebellion, Okuda assumed a stance. This time, she would not let herself to be made fool of. Her instinct told her to flee but her feet remained, even when they threatened to tremble. Suddenly, she noticed something moved out of the corner of her eyes. In one move, the devil of class 3-E gripped Koyama's arm with one hand. The head of biology club paled, realising his grave mistake too late.

Whenever the long-haired boy tried to move his arm or increased his strength, the redhead's smile remained as he kept his arm locked in the same spot. Truth to be told, Karma heard about their clash at library. Since that time, he had always searched for an opportunity to encounter this guy outside of school. Beating him up to the point of being unrecognisable was very appealing, but he would refrain himself today.

"How befitting of a sore loser. Seems like your brain is too small not only to fight with pen, but also with words." He leaned forward, and with a low voice that only the class 3-A biology prodigy could hear, the boy spat, "Stay away from her if you know what's best for you."

Once he let go, the long-haired boy immediately backed away. His other hand shielded the spot where Karma had gripped him before, and the others crowded around him in concern. Satisfied, Karma turned to Okuda, casually slinging one arm around her shoulder, "Let's go back."

Heat rushed to her cheeks, but she tried to remain as impassive as she could. They walked pass them and was about to be out of their earshot when Seo Tomoya whipped around and shouted at them, "How dare you run away, Akabane? We aren't done yet!"

This stopped the pair of friends in their track. But before the Five Virtuosos could say anything, Karma looked over his shoulder. His eyes were lazy, but the boy leaked of dangerous vibe.

"Run? Don't misunderstand. I won't hold back when second semester start, so be prepared to lose your beloved rank. If you want to challenge me in something _else_, come to class E building or meet me at school assembly. I'll take you all anytime you want~"

The class A's top students froze in sheer terror as Okuda and Karma continued walking. Once they were out of sight, Okuda suddenly sighed in relief. It was so loud that Karma's attention was immediately directed at her, "I'm glad that went smoothly."

"They are never much of an opponent in this situation. Just a bit too overconfident because everyone worship them."

"I'm so sorry for what I said." her head was hung down, "Now because of me, Karma-kun-"

"Don't worry. I intend to get them back even if you don't say it." All of sudden, his face beamed in appreciation and there was an admiration in his voice, "By the way, just now you are so cool. I don't see that coming."

"W-well, I..." she scratched her cheeks, which have turned light pink, "I cannot stay quiet when Karma-kun is being insulted. It is scary though. I didn't expect Koyama-kun to charge like that."

There was an urge to chide her for not expecting that reaction considering their previous encounter. Not to mention he was perfectly capable to handle the situation. But there was something he felt when Okuda Manami, timid and nearly hopeless in assassination and social situation, ignored her fear to defend him. It was reckless and foolish in some way, but it was an achievement. Lecturing could wait.

"Still, good job." she squeezed her eyes shut as he patted her head, "And thanks. Next time tell me if any of them bother you, especially that glasses prick."

"Sure! By the way, Karma-kun." The girl bit her lower lip. He looked back inquisitively, "I think we can stop the act."

"What act?"

The girl glanced to his hand which was dangling from her shoulder before looking away. His shoulder tensed once he realised where his left arm still comfortably rested on. It was something he did on the spur of the moment to protect her in case a fist fight ensued. While he doubted those class A's goons had the guts to do so, his battle instinct could not ignore the tiny chance of it happening or them calling reinforcement to do the dirty work. Now that they were out of the conflict, it just dawned on him how the gesture must have looked like to the Five Virtuosos or others.

But he was not Akabane Karma for nothing.

"It's not really an act. Good friends do this, don't they?" She tried to budge his arm off, but he seemed more amused than troubled, "I do not know if they actually mean what they said, but if they think we are close, at least they won't t bother you."

With her effort proven fruitless, the girl sighed. When the redhead was persistent, there was nothing she could do other than getting used to it. At first the weight felt odd, and the unusual close proximity made her skin jumped, but her body got used to it after a while. Just like what he said, this was what good friends did.

She could only hope not to get a heart attack before they managed to kill Koro-sensei.

* * *

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry for the long long hiatus. I have been busy with work, but I'm back to coughunemploymentcough. Recently I'm catching up with season 2 (late, I know) and it re-sparked my muse. Both of them are so dashing as adults!

I probably gonna rewrite the others if I had a time, since I cringe hard at some of them. It won''t change the main idea of the story, but I would add more details to make the story clearer and add a dash of realism to it. Last time I stick to 1000ish words per story, but you know what? Screw it.

By the way, for you to fit this in to the story, I have added "Timeline" to the top of the story. I hope I can portray their relationship development realistically


	9. Girl Talk

Story Time 9: Girl Talk

Summary: The conversation where boys are forbidden.

Timeline: 2nd Semester, around Takebayashi Time, but Before Tag Time.

*Before reading this, you may need to read the updated Story Time 7: Summer Festival and Unexpected (Part II) for it to make sense.

* * *

"Sen~sei, Target On!"

Kayano, Okuda and Kanzaki dropped each of their microphone from their lips. They took a sharp intake of breath before rushing to the TV. Their eyes remained glued to the screen, unblinking.

A flash was followed by an overly cheery voice blared from the TV, "You got 92!"

"Yay! Great job girls!" Kayano cheered, raising her hands. Kayano and Kanzaki took turn to high five with her, before going at it with each other.

"So, what's the next song?"

It surprised everyone how excited the bespectacled girl was. Now they felt guilty for half-expecting her to be tone deaf, while she actually showed great promise in singing that Kayano made a secret recording when she was singing Kaketa Tsuki solo. The green-haired girl shook her head, gently taking the device from Okuda's hand, and placing it back on the table amidst all plates and glasses.

"No, no, Okuda-san. I think we sang enough songs, let's take a break first." the green-haired girl plopped herself to the sofa, "How about we take some selfies first?"

As the tallest among the three girls, Kanzaki was in charge of holding the phone. At first the glasses girl just smiled, but Kayano soon asked them to do many poses from peace sign, forming a heart with hands, duck face, pretending to do karaoke singing and air kissing Kanzaki on the cheeks. Okuda giggled at their silliness, and her cheeks was warm when it was her turn to be in the middle.

"Now with that's done, let's do some girl talk!"

Okuda tilted her head, "Girl talk?"

Kayano's chuckle suddenly reminded everyone of Fuwa in her hypothesis mode. Hazel eyes were burning as the green-haired girl began explaining enthusiastically., "In classroom, the boys are always around, so there are certain things that we cannot say. Since there's only us here, we can discuss it~"

Okuda's lips formed a half-smile. Her friend was always a bubbly one, something she found difficulty to match up with at times but welcomed nonetheless, "S-such as?"

At the same time, the two friends turned their head at the chemist. Their eyes were akin of assassins looking at their target, knowing it was at their mercy. Instantly the bespectacled girl regretted asking. She pursed her lips, hoping that she could answer their curiosity.

"Are you and Karma-kun having a fight?"

She almost jumped out from her seat, "N-no, we aren't."

_Bingo_.

"Are you sure?" Kayano continued, "You have been avoiding him for days now."

Her purple eyes shifted to meet her friends. Unlike their previous expression, their eyes were flooded with concern, and it made her sad. Originally she did not want to say anything because she did not want to trouble them, but it seemed to backfire.

"Actually..."

Now everybody watched her expectantly as she hummed, her eyebrows furrowed. At this time, they knew any interruption would be counterproductive, even though it kept them on the edge of their seats.

"I..." the purple eyes darted fearfully, "Uh-"

"Did he do _something_ to you?" Everybody jerked their head at Kanzaki's accusing tone. The class top beauty had always been calm and graceful, even when a specific guy openly asked her to be a maid in front of many people. Kayano immediately jotted a mental note to never anger Kanzaki in whatever circumstances.

"NO! Nothing like that!" Okuda shook her head vigorously. The two girls raised an eyebrow at the swift defensive response, "It's because of me. I..."

The bespectacled girl lowered her head. Whenever her mind was idle, she could not get the night of the summer festival out of her head. The girl remembered how she felt small yet protected in his arms, and realising how broad his shoulder was. He was solid and warm against her, and his hand never faltered, careful not to touch any spots they were not supposed to*. On the next day, she left him in science lab, running straight for home after their eyes met. He was just asking if she was okay since she seemed out of it, but it made her heart jumped.

It had been 3 days since that happened. Her heart throbbed when he just passed her table like she did not exist from the next morning onwards, but she knew it was her fault. Nobody paid attention with everything that happened with Takebayashi, but nothing seemed to escape her first friends.

"I cannot tell you the specific event, but he didn't do anything bad. But after that... I don't know how to explain it, but something feels _different_." Her hands brushed over her cheeks, hoping to hide how red it was, "I suddenly feel weird whenever I look at him, but at the same time I want to see him. And I cannot get him out of my mind. I don't want to creep him out so..."

Kayano inclined her head, locking her eyes with Kanzaki's. One look was all they took to know they had the same conclusion in mind. The long-haired girl nodded, and they turned to the chemist.

"I never feel that for anybody, but I think, Okuda-san... You have a crush on Karma-kun."

The bespectacled girl stiffened at the green-haired girl's word. Her mind spun, flashing all the memories and her feelings over these few days.

Everything suddenly made sense.

Somewhere deep inside, she probably already knew what it was. Bitch-sensei lessons also involved recognising if your target was attracted to you, and the chemist exhibited the same signs. The girl had started to see him as a guy, instead of platonic friends.

Silence filled the room for a good couple of minutes. Getting worried from the lack of reply, Kayano stood and waved her hand in front of the chemist, "Okuda-san?"

"I-" she mouthed, "I have a crush on Karma-kun?"

"Yeah. It's normal to feel that when you see the person you like. In fact, you may find yourself looking at him without-" It alarmed the two friends when her lips curved into frown, "Okuda-san?"

Her fist was curled on her lap, shaking as it was clenched tighter. Suddenly there seemed to be something dark looming over her, "How can I get rid of it?"

Both of them gasped, aghast. Recently, Okuda had become much more sociable and cheerful. It made them forgot her pessimistic, defeated tone that used to come out whenever Japanese subject was involved. It was as if she regressed to her old self in the beginning of the year, and they did not like it.

Kayano was the first to react, "Why? Why do you even want to do that?!"

"Because it's destined for failure." Both girls jerked back, shocked at the sudden outburst, "Somebody like Karma-kun will get somebody who is pretty, smart and confident, everything I am not. If this feeling get stronger, it will ruin everything. Karma-kun is the first guy I am truly comfortable with as my friend... I don't want to lose him..."

"But-" the words died in Kayano's mouth at one look from Kanzaki. The resolute in the class madonna eyes' were unwavering, as if conveying wordlessly 'I'll do it'. The green-haired girl nodded, and her hand settled on Okuda's shoulder instead.

"You are not wrong about that, Okuda-san." Kanzaki's gentle voice was next to her. A pair of hands reached for hers, enveloping them tenderly, "But aren't you the one who score 100 for Science, beating everybody else in school? And your exam ranked 20th among everyone else in school. Then in library, didn't you openly defy Five Virtuosos at that time? To me, to **us**, you are pretty, you are smart, and you are confident, Okuda-san. And as your friend, I am proud of what you have become."

The braided girl lifted her head to meet Kanzaki's gaze. This time her eyes flickered with hope.

"Now you are overwhelmed, and it's okay. But don't say you want to get rid of it. Being able to like somebody is a part of becoming adults. It is a precious feeling that we cannot choose and works in the strangest of way. It will either ebb away or grow stronger in a quieter way within time. Don't give up just because Karma-kun seem to be out of your league. For ages, people have been dating and even getting married to those who seem way out of their league appearance wise. But appearance can be deceiving. For example, you didn't expect that I like games. To all of you it is something cool, but to my father and many people it's a major flaw. In the end, your personality matters the most."

Kayano's jaw dropped at Kanzaki's sagely advice. It was far beyond their years that it made her wonder if the long-haired girl actually felt anything beyond platonic with Sugino, or she had been secretly betrothed in a political marriage.

...Or maybe, Fuwa's speculative hypothesis syndrome had started to spread to the green-haired girl.

"How are we going to kill Koro-sensei, whom has been deemed unkillable by government all around the world if we are scared of facing our crush, right?" the long-haired girl smiled supportively, "If you try and fail, you won't regret because you can proudly say 'I have tried'. If it doesn't work out, it's okay. We will be here for you. All of us will eat ice cream together and listen to you complaining about Karma-kun."

"I will make Okuda-san's favourite _Karumeyaki_ too!" Kayano raised her hand, "We will put Karma-kun's face as a target and you can stab it with Anti-Sensei knives or shoot it with BB pellets."

At this Okuda snickered. The doubt cleared in her mind, and the uncertainty in her chest evaporated into thin air. At the way she brightened up, the two friends knew the chemist they adored was back.

"I get it now. Thank you, Kanzaki-san." Okuda turned her head to the girl with twin pigtails, "Thank you, Kayano-san."

"You are welcome!" The green-haired girl retracted her hands, then wrapped her arms around Okuda's shoulder, pulling her into a hug. Kayano's head leaned sideways, careful not to accidentally knock the chemist, "Next time, you should tell us if something bothers you. We are friends, we are here for you."

With Kanzaki joining the group hug, there was a warm contentment that made her eyes welled up. With them, she felt like she could do anything. And whatever happened, they would be there to catch her. Few sobs escaped her lips as she slid her arms around their waist, pulling them closer.

"I'm so happy to have all of you. Thank you."

XXXXX

Outside of science lab, the blue-haired boy smiled as the red-haired boy ruffled the braided girl's hair. Karma seemed exasperated, but his gesture told a different story. Nagisa ducked, stealthily moving away from the place into a nearby bush as he heard something about 'owe me sleeping darts and a nice dinner for apology'. His eyes scanned around the perimeter, and his ears was on guard. Seemed like they did not notice at all.

Deeming the situation safe, he took out his phone and opened his chat.

_Group Chat Name: Group 4 Study Club_

_Shiota Nagisa: Reporting from science lab, they are back to normal. _

_Sugino Tomohito: Glad to hear that! Get out of there Nagisa, good job girls!_

_Kayano Kaede: It's nothing ;) __We had our suspicion, but cannot figure out what cause it._

_Kayano Kaede: I'm surprised both of you can tell. I mean before you tell me, Karma looks like... Karma._

_Sugino Tomohito__: That one is on Nagisa. I don't even know there is a problem._

_Shiota Nagisa: Well, it was a coincidence. I just happened to notice that they didn't greet each other at morning. Nobody noticed because of the problem with Takebayashi._

_Kayano Kaede: Still, it was good that you saw it._

_Kayano Kaede: Actually Nagisa, I always want to ask. Does Karma like Okuda-san? He seems pretty gentle with her._

To be honest, he wondered too. He wanted to ask, but had a feeling that the red-haired boy would brush it off or answered in the same manner as in the first semester*. But what he had seen that time combined with just now was not a compelling evidence for such a strong feeling.

_Shiota Nagisa: Well, I don't know. But I think he's at the very least fond of her._

_Shiota Nagisa: That speaks a lot for Karma._

_Sugino Tomohito__: Wait a minute. Kayano. Don't tell me __OKUDA LIKES HIM?!_

_Kayano Kaede: Errr..._

_Sugino Tomohito__: We are so dead. Probably going to be before March._

_Kanzaki Yukiko: Now, now, it's too early to tell. Let's not put the ideas in their head and let them progress naturally._

_Kayano Kaede: And most importantly, don't tell anyone!_

Nagisa smiled, zipping open his bag before sliding his phone into one of its compartment. As he walked down the mountain, he did not realise far above the trees behind him, a certain octopus had blended with his surroundings, memorising his group chats to the last dot.

"Nurufufufu~ What a juicy progress."

* * *

Hello all,

When I fixed Summer Festival chapter, I suddenly thought how our animators basically always made Okuda look at Karma whenever something happened/when he spoke in second semester, and similarly in comic. So I figure maybe, I could take this as the moment for BOTH of them to realise theirfeeling. But she's the type to be scared with what she didn't understand, which is time for the two girls to give some pep-talk.

So you might want to question the placement, why these two timing? Well, more like because this is the only time when it can happen. In anime we see them next to each other when Karasuma first taught them about free running, and so is the comic. So it won't make sense.

If you have time, please check out the **rewritten** chapter of **Promise** and** Summer Festival**. There are some great additions, and I would like to know what you think about it.

Now moving to replies...

wercrazybesties4lyf: thank you for the support! I thought this fandom was death, since the updates are rare. Glad to see there are still some Karumana fans around!

miss taurus: Asano view Five Virtuosos as (expendable) pawns, especially in 1st semester, so it doesn't make sense for him to hang out with them unless there is a purpose to it (i.e. catching Isogai at his part time, and that's more about his vendetta to class 3-E as compared to personal grudge on Isogai). I hate to disappoint, but I don't think I will make the plot in that way because it just doesn't make sense canon-wise.

Badgirlgoth: More are coming out! I know today is Valentine Day, and I have the chapters, but I want to refine it further, so please look forward for it.


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